Re: Making GNUS continue to work with Gmail

[Gregory Heytings]

> What IS "this approach"?  Does it get a key that GNUS can use for 
> everyone? Does it have each user get a key from Google?

For the sake of clarity, there are two possible approaches:

1. Each user creates its own OAuth credentials, and uses them to access 
their own Google account.  From the point of view of Google, this is as if 
each user created its own app.  This is the solution chosen by Mutt and 
others.  Its main advantage is that the process is immediate (it takes 
only a few minutes).  Its main drawback is that it is a rather complex 
process.

2. The developer creates OAuth credentials, and includes them in the 
program.  From the point of view of Google, only one app exists, with many 
users.  This is the apparently the solution chosen by Kmail, Thunderbird 
and others.  Its main advantage is that it makes the process very simple 
(almost transparent) for users: when they add a Google account to their 
mail client, a Google page is opened in a browser, they indicate their 
login and password, and that's all.  Its main drawback is that it is a 
long process, because Google has to review and approve the app.  It 
requires at least: (1) having a domain name for the app, (2) writing a 
privacy policy for the app, (3) creating a video that demonstrates the 
OAuth grant process in the app, (4) submitting the app for verification to 
Google, and waiting that it be approved.

For the sake of completeness, there is in fact a third possible approach, 
which cannot be used by regular Gmail users:

3. If your Google account is a G Suite account (either a business one or 
an education one), that is, if your email is managed by Google but your 
email address does is not an @gmail.com address, then the G Suite 
administrator can do the process (1) above once for all users of a given 
mail client.  That is, the mail client is approved once for all users of 
that domain without the need of a review by Google.

Gregory